delondin

41 minutes ago, Covepointcruiser said:

Luckily in England you are not stranded as there are a multitude of flights to every place in the world.   With the full refund of your fare you should be able to book a flight and perhaps tour around England with your 7 travel days.    It’s a relatively short flight to NYC so Business Class is nice but not essential.

But the refund won’t be immediate. What if finances don’t allow for that. 

On 9/9/2022 at 10:30 PM, Rick&Jeannie said:

I think perhaps you have misunderstood the purpose of my post. I was simple expressing my opinion that it would have been nice to be able to do an upgrade...without having to spend $1K to gain CC and have to move down the hall about 6 cabins from my original location.  I fully understand that Princess has its ways.  No "angst" here, I promise! 😄

But imagine if everyone thought they would do what you want to do, where would they sit?  They have to limit it to a set number of cabins otherwise it defeats the purpose. 

1 hour ago, superuser83 said:

Hello,

 

I've just booked a P2 suite on QV for a 4 nights cruise for our anniversary.

 

I've the possibility to upgrade to a QG panoramic suite for an extra 300 £.

 

Is there a big difference between PG and QG? In the restaurant, are the menus really different?

 

Thanks for your help!

What’s a panoramic suite?

37 minutes ago, watsonbeau said:

Absolutely agree. Either treat everything as normal, so treat as if a common cold, so no tests or quarantine or denied boarding - in which case nobody would expect FCC for a cold, or if they must persist with treating Covid as if it’s the plague, then they should continue with FCC - after all its their ruling about catching it before you travel within 10 days means the system automatically cancelling and it’s generally their requirement to quarantine onboard.
 

I do appreciate different countries may complicate things and also COVID’s severity can vary a lot, many of us who have had it may have had just a mild dose whereas others have obviously been far worse. But either it’s treated like a cold or it’s treated like the plague !
 

As it stands with insurance - or rather lack of it, people are just going to lie on the health questionnaire to avoid being cancelled by Cunard and will doubtless do same onboard - if they get symptoms but are not unwell enough to require the medics they aren’t going to say anything. Not saying that’s the right thing to do but it will happen. 
 

I suspect this is because they are losing money by giving FCC since it’s not new money, just recycling existing £££ to another cruise if cancelled before departure. And by no FCC if you are confined to cabin, they lose out on nothing really.

 

They are certainly not encouraging honesty or encouraging people to cruise - so now every cruise you have the Sword of Damocles hanging over you.  From what I see I think P&O are doing same. 

I think megabear2 has spelt out the situation well. 

Exactly this. It is encouraging dishonesty. Also I’m not sure insurance would pay out if you were a close contact of someone 10 days ago. However you would still be denied boarding. 

I just read it and for the uk it seems it is now all to be claimed on travel insurance and no mention of fcc. 

If you’re in a suite do you need to book the speciality before boarding or can you do it on board? 

On 6/7/2022 at 8:48 AM, rachiem said:

With the deposit at only £150pp it would be hard to meet the minimum £1000 spend, so I'm not sure how this would work...a friend of mine is paying her balance this week, so will report back

Do you have any updates about this? 

1 hour ago, prmssk said:

I've heard stories of passengers not knowing what ship they are sailing on and giving their luggage to porters in front of the wrong ship.  On my last Princess cruise (out of San Pedro), I watched porters have to spend time double checking tags because there were a lot of confused passengers with two Princess ships in port.  

 

I don't know if that is what happened here but it is possible it is not fully the cruise line's fault.  It will be interesting to hear what really happened.

A lady posted on fb that there were two couples sailing on Solstice and while one couple parked their rental vehicle the other couple passed both couples luggage to one porter. One couple got their luggage, the other didn’t. 

On 6/2/2022 at 7:53 AM, rachiem said:

I can't seem to find the answer to this but we've paid a deposit (UK) for a cruise next year of £75. This is non-refundable.

If we chose to pay more before the final payment date and needed to cancel, will we loose just the £75 and get the surplus back or loose it all?

Wouldn't usually do this but with the Amex cash back offer, it may be worth doing?

 A thread on fb implies this offer is only for new bookings. Would be interested to know your experience 

2 minutes ago, safarigal said:

Thanks - we are not sure what happened and why the suitcases aren't on board - but that's life I suppose. Luckily I have all of my hair equipment in my carry on bag - just in case of this kind of emergency!

 

Great. I remember a few years ago we met on board and your straighteners broke so I know that was quite important to you!  If there’s anything else i can help with let me know. X

We are on board. Embarkation could have been better. We had 12.15 check in. We arrived a bit earlier and no one was checking times. They allowed everyone inside to be seated until check in was open at 12 rather than making everyone stand outside. The cafe was open. 
 

however the captain was really strict about ship not boarding till 1pm which was surprising as it wasn’t like they had to wait for guests to disembark first. Had priority boarding but was a bit of a free for all once ship got clearance. I’m sure this could be better managed. 
 

once onboard all the ships chefs and officers were there to welcome us onboard which was a nice touch. 
 

we were sent to a set of lifts based on our cabin but when we exited them the fire doors were shut and we had a bit of a route March to our cabin. Apparently the doors were  shut due to isolation cabins. 
 

It was a shame the fly past didn’t happen due to weather but they still made an effort with the band and flags so that was nice in the rain. 
 

no Internet cafe computers as broken which was slightly irritating due to work commitments but they are working on that. 
 

3 hours ago, safarigal said:

Thanks for the Bon Voyage messages.

 

All is well on Queen Victoria, except our luggage didn't make it's way on to the ship, and is still in  the Ocean Terminal in Southampton. It will be joining us in Barcelona.

 

We were treated to the Imperial Military Band giving us a recital by the Lido pool before sail away, so we all stood there in the drizzle with a glass of champagne in one hand, waving our little flags in the other, as they played good patriotic music. At the end we gave 3 cheers to Her Majesty. The Red Arrows had to cancel their planned fly over due to the weather, 

 

It's good to be back on board 🙂

That’s my biggest fear. Did you see it go down the conveyor belt thing?  I’m on board if you want to borrow hair straighteners or anything let me know. I have a spare American pair 

When you complete the health declaration on the app 24 hours before and you tick that you have tested positive you will automatically be denied boarding and there is a list of numbers to call but it was painful trying to speak to someone and it is only the sales people you get through to, not a special number. 
 

however as you have been denied boarding on the app they will not be expecting you at the port. 
 

as homedepot posted above you need to send your positive test via email to get the refund. 
 

It happened to us on 26 April and still waiting for refund. 

The phones are extra busy because of the new sale and everyone trying to reprice. Maybe leave it a couple of days if you can 

3 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

When you stop to think about it, and are capable of performing a bit of basic arithmetic, you will realize that a drinks package on virtually any cruise line only makes sense if one is determined to spend his/her entire cruise in an alcoholic stupor - or is simply planning to destroy his/her liver.

It’s not only alcohol that’s included. It’s fizzy and still bottled water, speciality coffees and herbal teas. I can drink a few san pellegrino’s a day plus still water with lunch and dinner. 
 

also having been used to all inclusive cruising it is nice to have the cost part done and dusted. 

Also I found that you are treated better with royal suite. Embarkation you have priority luggage drop off and they have your photos so fast track you through security. You have full minibar drinks and spirits. Generally nothing is too much trouble for royal suite guest. 
 

it’s a bit like business class flights. You get the extra room but also they take your jacket. It’s things you didn’t think you needed until it’s supplied 

7 hours ago, Covepointcruiser said:

Don’t no why banana’s husband was denied vegetables.    We have seen the photos of meals offered in room service and have definitely seen photos of salad and broccoli and broccolini.   It’s not right that this gentleman was singled out for this treatment especially since he was in a suite and could also order from Luminae

I think this is one of the main problems with the quarantine. There is no head office ruling as such so each ship/captain has its own rules. Therefore some suite guests can order from any menu, some only from room service. Some passengers get a balcony some an ocean view. Some partners of positive passengers can go masked to the buffet and eat in cabin some can only order room service. 
 

Some get lots of medical check ups some none at all. 
 

so it is difficult to make an informed decision whether to cruise when you don’t actually know what you are actually dealing with. 

what is desperately needed on all ships is some kind of quarantine manager to deal with these passengers, ensuring they get fed etc. 

10 minutes ago, paulco said:

I got cancelled SF-Van. Was in an interior deck 7 forward so not a ton of money TA said Cunard typically refunds within one billing cycle—so up to 60 days.

That’s ok but it still doesn’t mean you can replace your holiday in the original timeframe as suggested 

The drinks package is more limited than Celebrity’s. For example there is a daily limit of 15 alcoholic drinks per day and they are more measured than celebrity’s free pouring, although if you get a good sommelier that helps. However, having been used to the inclusive drinks on Celebrity I would miss having the drinks package so we bite the bullet and pay for it. I like being able to order without giving it anymore thought. Also the wine is expensive by the bottle, although you can buy sets of 6  or 12 bottles at a discount. There is a limit of $12 per drink which covers enough but sometimes it is a bit petty for example if  you go to the gin bar if you order g&t with garnish it is not covered but if you buy the gin and tonic as two separate drinks it is. So as long as you make it clear to the bar staff they will accommodate you. Also unlike Celebrity if the drink is more expensive you pay the whole amount less a discount rather than just the difference. 
 

In the grills lounge (equivalent to Retreat/Michael’s lounge) you can have complimentary tea and coffee. If you want liqueur coffee that would be charged or part of your package. All soft drinks including water are chargeable. I drink a lot of water so that is another reason that I like the drinks package as it is included. There is no limit for non alcoholic drinks 

7 hours ago, lissie said:

The suggestion was that they took the money and used to have alternative holiday in the time frame of the original cruise. Given its Alaska - there are other  cruises doing that route - or they  could do a land based holiday 

That’s ok if the refund comes back in time, but I’ve heard it can take months to get the money back 

14 minutes ago, welovetahiti said:

By cancelling a week before sailing, won't you lose the amount you paid?

I believe the cruise with confidence was extended to end of September so they may have got an fcc. 

3 hours ago, bananavan said:

It is truly pointless to even try to explain the reality of this situation to those of you who think that our reality is incorrect.

we are in  Santorini today, so that is Greece, except we have to follow Italys rules.

Celebrity sent out a directive 

on how they were going to respond to Covid on April 22. That was the day we boarded.

None of us got that memo. 
So good luck to all of you who know better.

Your kindness will come back to you one hundredfold. 

I am done. Talk amongst yourselves. 
 

I’m not American so hope  I’m using the correct terminology but I’m fed up of all these Monday morning quarterbacks telling you what you should and shouldn’t have done. I think you made the best decisions you could have with the knowledge that you had to hand at the time. X

It seems to be a cruise industry problem, rather than just a Celebrity issue. For example, Cunard have reduced capacity on their sailings by cancelling some booked passengers. Their reasons are difficulty documenting staff due to covid delays. Also difficulties with flying the crew from their home countries due to airline problems and airspace issues with the Russia situation. We don’t know how many potential crew are caught up in the war situation etc. 
 

Apparently  it can take up to 12 weeks to get the visas, covid jabs etc and then when they do get on board they have to isolate for several days before they can work

A crew member was posting on social media about how it is now not a very attractive job. For them wearing a sometimes double mask all the time, no crew bar socialising and limited, if any, time ashore due to covid protocols. Also they are finding that they could get to the end of their contract and they are not allowed home as there is no one to replace them. Therefore I imagine there is not such a big pool of willing people to become crew as there was in the past. 

When you fill in the health questionnaire it will deny you boarding. Send them your positive result 

On 5/12/2022 at 3:44 AM, LibertyBella said:

 I doubt very much there is any focus on individuals or their cruise costs. Some cruisers demand certain cabins and will not allow any changes.  That may have been fine in the past, but when the ship needs to make large scale decisions (e.g. all deck 5 reserved for covid quarantine), if you are a passenger who is not flexible and cannot be moved, or by bad luck your cabin is part of the quarantine area, then yes, cancellations become the final decisions.  

 

The Covid challenges are continuing and cruise lines are attempting to navigate risky travel times.  They, more than any of us travelers, wish times would get back to normal! 

 

In these days of constant change, if one trip gets cancelled, I just book something else and put my cancelled trip on the future travel bucket list.  So far the list includes China (yes, my tour was booked, some money still with tour company), Mexico cruise (booked and refunded), my brother's Baltic cruise (refunded), my other brother's eastern European tour (booked and company has money) Iceland (also booked and refunded), Viking cruise (also booked and I have a lot of cruise credit).  

 

What have I learned?  Do not plan too far in advance, be very flexible, patient and calm, go with the flow, don't extend too much money out if the trip is shaky, and enjoy my travels wherever I end up going!!

Unfortunately not everyone is in a position to reschedule with work etc and be so flexible waiting for refunds. Some people need their money back before they can rebook.  Not everyone is lucky enough to say well just book something else,  if all your money is tied up, and no definitive date for the return.